Cerise Cassée is a complex beer in both process and palate. Multiple fermentations begin in stainless steel with our house ale yeast, then spontaneous refermentation and aging along with 300 pounds of sour cherries takes place in the infamous CBC barrel cellar.

Beer: Reviews & Ratings

Note: this is the batch of Cerise Cassee brewed by Will Myers and Shaun Hill at Nørrebro in Copenhagen, Denmark and bottled for luggage export to the states. Thanks Shaun!

Pours a wonderfully full deep red color, almost like that of a light Pinot Noir, with very crisp clarity. A starched white 2 finger head foams up on top and rests with tiny bubbles until after a minute or so when it settles into a solid, velvety cap with strong edging and light lacing up the glass. Nice bottle conditioning.

The aroma is amazing, like a fresh baked sour cherry pie. Very reminiscent of New Glarus Belgian Red. Really nice bretty character balanced with the sweet fruit cherry flavors and a subtle lacto and acedic that gives a quenching tartness to the whole aroma. Cherries are the dominant character here with the additional funk and tartness making up a really well-rounded smell.

The taste is also incredibly full and well-balanced. Sour cherry sweetness starts out followed by a touch of malty biscuit breadiness and then moves to a strongly sour-tart middle with some nail polish qualities. Finishes very tart and dry. The mouthfeel is crisp and dry when necessary but has a great sweetness that doesn't make the sour flavors too uncomfortable. Nice bottle carbonation that carries the beer all over the mouth.

I wish I had more bottles of this hanging around because this is an easy-drinking, exciting, and pleasing brew. (1,424 characters)

Had this on Memorial Day at CBC on a really unseasonably warm day. This really hit the spot and I thought it was their best ofering that day. It is also great to se more breweries tackling this tough style- which I love. Poured a murky orange/brown with a decent head and lacing. The head faded to a ring and stayed that way for the life of the beer. Really nice aromas of tart cherries, and there is a slightly acetic quality that marries with some sweet oak and even some light vanilla and cocoa notes. The taste has a nice balance between sour cherry an oak with some malt and sherry notes underneath. The mouthfeel is smooth and crisp but with a creamy finish. It would score a bit higher here, but it drops off a bit at the end. A very nice ofering. Not quite world class, but very solid. (793 characters)

Tried this at the brewpub. When I ordered it, the waitress asked if I liked sour cherries and if I wanted to taste it first before ordering. I assured her that I knew what I was getting myself into.

The appearance was very red, cloudy, with a smallish head. The aroma brought to mind apple cider left in the fridge too long. Cherries, tartness, sourness, some lactic qualities. The taste is similar. I did not get much wood flavor, mostly just sour, tart, fruity. Definitely has an acidic bite to it that makes you pucker when you drink it.

An interesting beer to try, I would recommend it to more adventurous beer drinkers (like most BA users), probably not for the typical macro drinker. (691 characters)

Great sourness and cheek tingling goodness. Woody and funky tart acidity. Short dry finish that makes me want to enver stop drinking. Alcohol is hidden, and had the missus and her cousin let me, I would have sat there sipping it from lunch time until they closed. My favorite brew of theirs, with the red ipa just behind it. (602 characters)

Had on tap at CBC. Poured into a 12oz flute. It is a light burgundy color. Extremely hazy with a nice cream colored head. Smell is extremely tart. Different sour cheeries, apples etc. Tastes how it smells- sour patch kids, sith some wine flavors to finish. WOnderful mix of flavors and great tart mouthfeel. For a higher percentage sour, this is pretty drinkable. Another solid beer pushing the envelope for this brewery! (421 characters)

I love Cambridge's Cerise Cassee. Let me say that right now. Pours a ruddy brownish color with a thin layer of foam on top. Smell is of tart, sour cherries. Flavor is outstanding. It's an incredibly balance of tartness, sour, and cherries. Incredible balance in this one. It's sour, but not overpoweringly so. The sweetness has a perfect counter. It's excellent. It's carbonated properly for the style, and has a nice crisp, dry finish. I could drink this brew all night. I love what Will and CBC do with this brew, and I wish it was available all year. It's just damn good. (574 characters)

Off notes from 3-2007. Pours a clouded garnet/ruby with a nice tan head that falls. Nose is beautiful. Strong wood influence with cherry tones. You can tell this was made with care. Flavor is a mild wood with a stronger cherry profile. Feel has a thick bubble to it that hits the back of my mouth and leaves quickly. The liquid feel seems a bit thin. This reminds me oh so much of a lambic. Overall, very drinkable. It might have to be your cup of tea, but I dig it. If you like lambics, you will like this. After two 9 ounce beers and a burger, this was my dessert. As it got closer to the end, I wished there would have been more.

I weep for you if you go in and this beer is not available. (694 characters)

Appearance: Pours a very cloudy, brownish amber with a thin beige head that fades to a patchy film, but eventually disappears completely.

Smell: The aroma is sour and tart cherries. There's also a phenolic, medicinal aroma that gives way to some woody aromas. Swirling accentuates the woodiness and light earthy notes. Upon warming, swirling brings out a nice Cantillon-like funkiness.

Taste: The cherries used in brewing are definitely the dominant element in this beer. Upfront they provide a light sweetness, which is quickly eclipsed by a strong sourness that lasts through to the finish. The sweet, cherry fruitiness emerges again in the finish along with a nice earthy and woody quality.

Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied, moderate carbonation. It seems a bit effervescent. The finish has a nice moderate dryness.

Drinkability: Tasty and incredibly flavorful. The beer is nicely sour, but isn't overpowering.

Overall: I really liked this beer. The cherries add a nice fruity character and light sweetness that is never too sweet. The medicinal, woody and earthy characters provide a nice balance to the sourness. (1,153 characters)

Enjoyed this beer at the brewery before the EBF while Sam Calagione, Tomme Arthur, Rob Tod, et al were having some rounds of their own in the front corner. This incarnation of the brew is made of 100% sour mash, fermented with tart cherries on Belgian yeast, then aged in French-oak chardonnay and pinot noir barrels with brettanomyces - 8% ABV. In concept it sounds quite close to Supplication, but this definitely has its own personality. It arrives an opaque cherry/brown in an enlarged flute, with a half inch tan head that slowly subsides. The bouquet consists of sour cherry and brett, with a nice oak kicker and notes of raspberry/blackberry in the background. The first sip is a rush of sour cherries and brett that hits the back of the throat and lingers. In addition to raspberry and other berry notes, the wine barrels really add another dimension. There are flashes of chardonnay, but the pinot really comes through in the aftertaste - very nice. The medium body is bone dry, with medium to high carbonation and the sourness seems to decline slightly as I progress. Overall it is well-crafted, delicously drinkable for a sour ale, and was the perfect beer to prepare me for the Extreme Beer Fest. (1,208 characters)

A leftover from the prior night's beer dinner, this is one scrap I did not mind having. Presented to me from the tap in an oversized flute glass the beer was a dark ruby-red color. No head or signs of a head and no lacing throughout the sample. A bit of a dull Juicy Juice color.

The smell was super tart cherries and faint red wine. Some hints of grapes and plums.

The taste was a huge burst of tartness and sourness but kept perfectly in balance with the fruit. So many beers with fruit are overpoweringly sweet and never have anything to balance that sweetness. This beer had an innitial quick burst of fruitty sweetness that was instantly balanced with a tart and sour finish. It made your lips and cheaks pucker and sucked all the moisture out of your mouth and was enjoyable during every step of the way. A dry finish with softer dark fruit flavor and some hints of wine-like alcohol.

Medium body and crisp and dry to the finish.

Very very drinkable. I enjoyed this one a great deal as I thought it had superb balance and great flavors all around. Certainly nothing to have many of in a sitting as your mouth would feel like a snail that just had salt dumped on it. Perfect with a dessert such as creme brule or perhaps wih eggs at breakfast or brunch. (1,271 characters)

Dark Red/No Head. Aromas are all lactic sour cherries/kriek with many funky complexities. Taste follows suit, with dank lactic funk and wild bacteria traces. Although this is a damn tasty flemish red it is not as complex, interesting, and drinkable as other world-calss examples. This reminds me more of a vondel than a Rodenbach. Mouthfeel is thin and acrid, drinkability is not the best. Still this is an interesting brew, that I was glad to try. (448 characters)

I have sampled this on tap at the EBF, at Anam Cara, and at Cambridge Brewing Company.

This flanders red ale poured a deep burgungy red color with light tan foam that settles flat. The smell is a very nice, earthy, flinty, tart cherry aroma with notes of malt. The taste is lightly tart cherries, moderately malty beneath the pleasant sourness with just a touch of sweetness. The mouthfeel is smooth and lightly tart with medium body and low carbonation feel. The light, fruity tartness lingers happily in the mouth. This is a very nice beer, and I am really growing to like this style. (589 characters)

Deep garnet color with a dense tan head. In appearance, this really did resemble a wine, possibly a Pinot Noir. Bright, tart, cherry aromas, offset by a citrus hop note. Sour tart cherry flavor. Accented by the hops. No character from the malt. It stays tart and bitter. Thin mouth feel. Medium drinakbility due to the tartness of the beer. Very Belgian very good. (364 characters)

Took a walk over the Pont Neuf with this one on 2/13/2005. 10-oz. pour in a stemmed glass at ACPH.

Just a thin and not covering palaver of mist for beginning, and sticking carbonation. Ruby red hue, almost wine-like in its extreme stillness. Cherries, plums, dates on nose with a light sugary sweetness, like raspberry crumb cake. Kick you in the head tart teeth puckering cherry that shoots poisoned darts down the middle of the tongue with thank you sir may I have another sweetness; rhubarb pie without the crust and a tiny bit of malt meanders by, tipping its chapeau. Very thin body that allows for a quick retreat, appropriately enough, and makes this a hit in my book. (678 characters)

Clear dark cherry red, served with just a ring of white along the glass. Aroma is sour cherry and a red wine without the alcohol or spiciness. Starts sweet McIntosh and cherry with notes of maple. It then takes a mad dash towards tartness and evolves into an impressive sourness before finishing very clean. No trace of alcohol or bitterness. Medium-thick body with a little detached carbonation.

I find this tough to compare to much, although I definitely enjoy it more than its inspiration, Quelque Chose. I think I would prefer a bit more funkiness to it, but perhaps that is just me expecting a kriek-lambic when in fact that is not what this beer is supposed to be. Overall this is very interesting and very impressive.

[It is tought to prove that it was this beer, but an hour or two after drinking it I started releasing the most foul gasses the world has ever smelled. This continued for hours and I assure you is quite out-of-character for me. I just thought I would mention it in case other people find the same reaction] (1,037 characters)

Had this at the brewpub the Monday following the EBF (where I first tried it). Pours a bright, dark cherry/ruby red with a slight haze and a thin, light rosy-white head. Smells of tart cherry up the wazoo. Light wine notes and some acidic vinegary funk round it out. Very nice. Taste starts with the big, sour cherries up front. Not quite puckering, but definitely sour and acidic. Light, tender cherry sweetness compliments this nicely though. Slight funk comes through. Woody, dry, tangy finish. Yum. Couldn't taste much alcohol at all. Light to medium bodied, but coats the mough nicely. Could maybe use a bit more carbonation. (630 characters)